Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery

The Robert Henri Museum is located in the former home of the town’s founder John Cozad. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is said to be the oldest brick building in Dawson County. Built in 1878-79 its interior has been restored to its appearance at the time the Cozad family lived there. In 1882, John Cozad killed a rancher during an argument and immediately left the area and disappeared as he was indicted for murder. The other members of the Cozad family left Nebraska in 1884 and all assumed new identities in New York City. Robert Henry Cozad, who was nineteen years old when he left Nebraska, changed his name to Robert Henri. Henri would go on to become a world-famous painter and art instructor. But it was here in Cozad, Nebraska that Henri showed the early signs of becoming the talented artist that he later became. The museum has five exhibits telling the story of the family and the career of Robert Henri.